RELEASE: In the Wake of Hurricane Helene, Congress Must Invest in Rebuilding Strong, Prosperous, and Climate-Resilient Communities 

Washington, D.C. — Hurricane Helene is the deadliest hurricane to strike the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Early estimates of the costs range from $20 billion to $110 billion in property damage alone. A new Center for American Progress article examines the historic devastation fueled by climate change; how the Biden-Harris administration’s disaster relief in partnership with state and local authorities has taken substantial steps to aid recovery; and the short- and long-term investments needed from Congress to rebuild prosperous and climate-safe communities in Appalachia and beyond. 

The Biden-Harris administration is already delivering substantial disaster relief, deploying more than 5,600 professionals from the federal workforce—including Urban Search and Rescue, emergency management and disaster response experts, and engineers—and up to 1,000 active duty soldiers to deliver essentials and aid recovery efforts. On top of this, the swift action by the Biden-Harris administration to sign disaster declarations for North Carolina and other states unlocked funds and other resources to aid survivors with recovery and emergency costs. 

But this disaster relief is not guaranteed to continue. If Project 2025 were implemented, there would be significant rollbacks in support. Project 2025 proposes: 

• To end direct lending under the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program—the federal government’s largest source of disaster recovery funds for survivors—including small-business owners and households who need to repair and rebuild their properties
• That the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) increase the threshold for disaster declarations, thereby making it more difficult for states and localities to qualify for federal aid after disaster strikes and limiting critical assistance for local families and businesses
• Winding down the National Flood Insurance Program—calling for it to be replaced by private insurance—despite limited private market alternatives for flood insurance, which would risk financial instability or ruin for owners of 4 million properties in the case of flood damage
• Commercializing the National Weather Service, potentially making things such as extreme weather forecasts developed by the NOAA available only to those who can pay

Finally, this article makes the case for why Congress must provide needed disaster relief funding to FEMA and other agencies, as well as ensure there are long-term investments to rebuild communities and strengthen their climate resiliency. Some of the recommendations outlined in the column include: 

• Allocating immediate funding to restore critical infrastructure and ensure communities’ basic needs are met
• Requiring states and localities to specify in disaster aid grant applications how they plan to rebuild in ways that reduce future climate disaster risks
  
• Building on the Biden-Harris administration’s historic climate progress by expanding investments in climate action and accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy
  

“Without strong climate action and rapid support for rebuilding communities to be more climate resilient, more extreme weather emergencies and climate disasters will continue to uproot lives and cause long-term economic losses that can hamper communities for decades,” said Cathleen Kelly, senior fellow for Energy and Environment and co-author of the column. 

Read the column: “In the Wake of Hurricane Helene, Congress Must Invest in Rebuilding Strong, Prosperous, and Climate-Resilient Communities” by Cathleen Kelly, Christian Weller, and Natalie Baker 

For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].